This invention relates generally to the field of computer networks, and in particular to the compilation and display of statistics relating to the number of times certain links on a web page are accessed. More specifically, the invention relates to the display of such statistics in the vicinity of the associated link so that a user may quickly evaluate the number of times each link has been accessed.
Today's computer networks permit screen displays, commonly referred to web pages, to be viewed on a computer display screen that is coupled to the network. Using the Internet as an example, a web page of a given web site may be produced on the user's display screen by using a commercially available web browser. The uniform record locator (URL) of the desired web site (the destination page URL) is typed into the appropriate box of the web browser, causing the destination web page to be sent from a server computer to the user's computer.
Modern web pages often have various selectable links or icons that a user may select with a pointing device, such as a mouse, to cause the destination web page to be displayed on the display screen. For example, many web sites have a home page with an outline or overview of information that may be obtained from the site by selecting various links or icons.
Web site designers or site administrators are often concerned with the layout of the site web pages. For example, a designer may wish to organize the page layout to optimize the number of hits for certain links. Such a process can be difficult if the information regarding traffic on the site in unavailable or in an inconvenient format.
Hence, this invention is related to techniques for compiling and displaying statistics on how web pages are utilized. In one aspect, the invention is related to compiling and displaying information on the number of times each link is selected. In this way, the layout of a web page may be optimized to enhance access to various links.